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waiting for the computers to come back up after a system crash. "He never says anything, but I know."
    "How can you tell it's him if he doesn't say anything?" I asked.
    "He always comes at the same time," she said. She tapped her watch. "Sixty seconds, that's all it takes."
    "He comes when he's talking to you?"
    "I can tell by the breathing," she said. "You know, it starts off slow and quiet, and then, wham, it's like he's dying."
    "And you listen to this?" I asked. "Why don't you disconnect?"
    She shrugged. "It's only sixty seconds out of my day," she said. "And it's a break from the regular type of calls." She leaned back in her chair and folded her hands on her lap, stared at her blank screen. "But I can't tell you how glad I am I wasn't born with a penis."
    Once, she let me listen to him. I'd just come back from a break, and she waved me over. I plugged my headset into the extra jack on her phone base in time to hear this man gasping like he was running a marathon or something.
    "Hello?" Hope said. "Is anyone there?"
    The man made choking noises.
    "Can I help you?" Hope asked, smiling at me. He let out a long sigh, and she pointed at her watch. "Hello?" she said again and kept repeating it until we heard the dial tone.
    I unplugged my headset from her phone. "How does he keep getting you?" I asked. "I thought the calls were all routed automatically."
    "They are," she said. "So I don't think it's coming from outside."
    "What do you mean?" I asked.
    "It's someone in here," she said, looking around the room. There were maybe a dozen men scattered around the cubicles. "But at least now I know it's not you."
----
    I ONLY RECEIVED one obscene call during the time I was there. It was around three or four in the morning, the quiet time. "Bitch," the man whispered after I answered. "Slut."
    "Hey," I said. "You're talking to a man."
    "Tell me what you're wearing," he went on. "I want to know what you look like." I could hear soft slapping noises in the background.
    "I've got an obscene call," I said to Hope.
    "It's not my guy, is it?" she asked, frowning.
    "Put me on the speaker phone," he gasped.
    "No, this one talks," I told her.
    "You cunt," he sobbed.
    "What if someone was really in trouble?" I said to him. "What if their car was on fire and they were trying to call right now, but couldn't get through because of you?"
    "That's it," he moaned and came.
----
    JUDE CALLED ME two more times. The first time, his voice was low and thick, as if he was thinking about each word. "I was hoping you were working tonight," he said.
    "How did you get me again?" I asked.
    "I just kept trying until you answered," he said. "It only took three times."
    "Why me?" I asked.
    "I thought we developed a rapport the other night," he said. He pronounced the "t" in "rapport."
    "Well, what can I do for you this time?" I asked.
    "Dead battery," he said. "I need a boost."
    "Your car in the driveway again?" I asked.
    "It's a truck," he said. "And yeah, it is."
    "All right," I said. I started on the forms. "How's the weather tonight?"
    "It's getting worse," he said. "I don't think I'm going to be able to make it to work."
    I looked up at the television. The weather channel was predicting sunshine for Yellowknife all week.
    "All right, I'll send someone right away," I said.
    "That'd be great," he said. There was a sound like ice clinking in a glass, and then he said, "I couldn't find her. She still hasn't come back."
    "Who hasn't come back?" I asked.
    "My girlfriend," he said. "It's been a week now."
    "I don't think this is something I can help you with," I said.
    "But she did call," he went on.
    "Well, what more do you want?" I asked.
    "She doesn't think it's working out between us," he said. "Now what am I supposed to do?"
    "Have you tried asking her what the problem is?" I said.
    "Oh yeah," he said. "She said she wasn't really sure. It was just a feeling she had. What am I supposed to say to that?"
    "Maybe it's time to move on," I said.
    "No, I can't do